Verse seven tells us ,'Love always protects', The word means covering,or concealing the faults and imperfections of others( Barns)When Joseph heard that Mary was expecting a child,he thought she had been unfaithful we read,'Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law,and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,he had in mind to divorce her quietly'.Not like the Pharisees who appeared to take pleasure in exposing the faults of others (John 8 v 53ff). Then we read ,'Love always trusts',it has with it the idea of always believing the best about someone,There is a song called,'After the Ball' by Charles Elmer Szabe, about a man who attended a ball and when he arrived,he saw the girl he was going to marry kissing someone,filled with anger he left,and that was the end of that,he never did marry,and as an old man he discovered it was her brother she had kissed. Let us not jump to the wrong conclusions, believe the best about people, and do not make a rash judgement. 'Love always hopes', when things are difficult beyond words,and the difficulties don't go away,it is easy to give up, but as one translation puts it ,'Love is always hopeful',We can be hopeful in spite of all the difficulties we may be facing, because our God is sovereign,and nothing can seperate us from the love of God,and that He will cause all things to work together for our good.Last but not least ,'Love always persevers', or as the Ampilified Bible puts it,'Remaining steadfast during difficult times'.which we all will experience in some measure.The hymn writer wrote,'Nor death nor life,nor earth nor hell,nor time's destroy sway,can e'er efface us from His heart,or make His love decay'.
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